A gift, no receipt, and a new Saturday assistant
It is the first Saturday after Christmas. A customer brings back a jumper for a child, a present from an aunt, with no receipt. Your Saturday assistant does not know whether to offer a refund, an exchange or a credit note. They phone you. Then another customer returns a candle bought online, and nobody is sure whether online returns can be done in the shop.
By the end of the day, the returns have been handled in four different ways.
Returns decisions are made on the spot
Most shops have a returns policy, but it is applied by whoever is on the counter, from memory. Without a receipt, finding the original sale is hard, so decisions are guesswork.
- Receipts are lost or were never given, especially with gifts.
- The till can find sales, but only if staff know how.
- Online orders returned in the shop follow a different process.
- The policy differs for sale items, seasonal stock and personalised goods.
- Reasons for returns are not recorded.
What inconsistent returns cost
Refunding something that was not bought in your shop, or bought at a sale price and refunded at full price, costs money. Refusing a fair return costs a customer. Staff under pressure at a busy counter feel uncomfortable either way.
Without recorded reasons, you miss patterns, such as a product that keeps coming back faulty or a size that runs small.
How we build a returns screen at the till
- Staff start a return and scan the item's barcode. The screen searches recent sales of that item, in the shop and online.
- If the customer paid by card, staff can search by the last digits of the card and approximate date, where your till and card provider allow.
- When the sale is found, the price paid, date and any discount are shown.
- The screen applies your policy: refund, exchange or credit note, according to time since purchase, sale status, gift receipt and item type.
- Where no sale can be found, the screen shows what your policy allows for receiptless returns, such as a credit note at the current price.
- The reason for return is chosen from a short list, and the item's condition noted, so it goes back to stock or aside correctly.
| Situation | What the screen suggests (your policy) |
|---|---|
| Receipt found, within return period | Refund or exchange |
| Gift, sale found | Exchange or credit note |
| No sale found | Credit note at current price, or refuse |
| Online order returned in shop | Refund to original payment |
| Personalised or sale item | As your policy states |
Your returns policy is yours, and consumer rights are set by law, which is a question for your own adviser. The screen applies the policy you give it, and staff can always call you for an exception.
Returns after the screen is in place
Staff handle returns the same way whoever is on the counter. Customers with receipts or card payments get quick answers. Receiptless returns follow your policy without awkward guessing. Credit notes are issued with codes, and you can see why things are being returned.
The January returns rush goes more smoothly, and you are phoned less often on your day off. Items returned in good condition go straight back into stock on the till, and faulty ones are set aside with a note, so they can be sent back to the supplier together rather than forgotten in a bag in the stockroom.
Looking at the reasons over a season also tells you something useful, such as a size of children's clothing that keeps coming back or a gift that people clearly receive twice.
Signs your returns need this
- Staff phone you about returns.
- Receiptless returns are handled differently each time.
- Online orders returned in the shop are confusing.
- You do not know why items come back.
- Credit notes are handwritten.